Any sense of ascendancy was removed after 17 balls when Latham was caught behind to Rahat Ali with the new ball. Rahat was rewarded with late movement after pitching up. Latham's dismissal followed Corey Anderson who popped a catch to cover point, driving on the up.
Suddenly Jimmy Neesham and B-J Watling, players who faced three balls between them in the second innings at Abu Dhabi, were tasked with preventing implosion. They got on with the job as the new ball deteriorated, posting 33 for the sixth wicket. Neesham toiled to 17 but ultimately couldn't deliver, squeezing a Yasir Shah leg spinner to short mid-wicket.
The weight of responsibility nursing the lower order sits well with Watling who concentrated his way to 39. He took a stroll towards square leg after most deliveries to clear his head; the same couldn't be said for Mark Craig who looked dressing room-bound on nine when Rahat, running in from extra cover, dropped a miscued slog sweep off Yasir. Craig's frustration trying to escape the leg spinner was palpable.
However, he showed pluck after the let-off. There were a few edges and misses but he negotiated his way to 43. Regardless of their contrasting styles, the pair offered stability with a seventh-wicket partnership of 68.
Sodhi provided a resourceful cameo with an unbeaten 32. The highlight was his waltz down the wicket to loft Zulfiqar Babar for a straight six to bring up New Zealand's 400.
The timing and technique showcased his talent. It can't be long before he's inserted before Tim Southee.
Watling paid tribute to the tail: "Today was a bit of a grind after losing those two wickets early. After being 243 for three we really needed 400. The spinners were tough to get away so to get those extra 150 runs puts us in a decent position."
No series away against Pakistan is easy. Yasir and slow left-arm orthodox counterpart Zulfiqar Babar, who had the best figures of four for 137 from 45 overs, need to be endured. If New Zealand is to continue striving for success away from home, more application is required to negate them.
Middle order scoreboards reading 0, 48, 11, 42 then 8, 23, 0, 0 in Abu Dhabi and 23, 9, 17, 39 in Dubai rarely set up test wins.
Despite the promise of the opening day, the performances of New Zealand's top batsmen need improvement. Latham gets a tick, having contributed centuries in both tests, but question marks remain beside Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, the spine of New Zealand's success in the past year.
In the first test they made a total of 91 runs; here they delivered 98 in the first innings and participated in solid partnerships of 77, 76 and 73 with Latham, but none generated a commanding score. Until the wag of the tail, that left New Zealand vulnerable.
